Adam Morgan topped the opening Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Free Practice session of the weekend at Brands Hatch this morning as the season finale got underway on the full Grand Prix circuit this morning (Saturday).
The Team BMW driver was marginally quicker than the first of this weekend's title contenders, Ash Sutton, who lapped the Kent circuit's famed longer layout just 0.017s shy of Morgan's pace at the wheel of his NAPA Racing UK Ford. Tom Ingram, who heads into the weekend tied on points at the head of the standings with Jake Hill, was also firmly in sight of Morgan's leading time of 1m30.572s, just half a tenth adrift in his Hyundai.
Fourth and fifth in the order were two drivers who head into the weekend with a mathematical but slight chance of claiming honours. Four-time champion Colin Turkington was just over a tenth behind his teammate's benchmark time whilst Josh Cook was marginally further back in his Toyota Corolla GR Sport.
Local driver Jake Hill was sixth in his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW at the end of the 35-minute session, just over two tenths off the pace. Hill leads the championship by virtue of his greater win tally, and will head the standings into Sunday unless Ingram can take the point for pole later on this afternoon.
Others to show strongly in the first circuit session on a brilliantly bright morning at Brands Hatch included Aron Taylor-Smith in seventh ahead of Dan Cammish, the last of those in with an outside shot at the crown. Aiden Moffat and Daniel Rowbottom rounded out the top-10.
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Brands Hatch, Free Practice 1
- Adam Morgan, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, 1m30.572s
- Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +0.017s
- Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS, Hyundai i30N, +0.051s
- Colin Turkington, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, +0.154s
- Josh Cook, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +0.192s
- Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, BMW 330e M Sport, +0.217s
- Aron Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +0.329s
- Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +0.346s
- Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +0.567s
- Daniel Rowbottom, Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +0.574s
Click here to view full timings from this weekend's Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship event.